Tigers Minor League Baseball Blog

There are so many reasons why a person can love the game of baseball; the deep relationship and feelings towards a favorite team. The drama and story line that can play out in each game. The little intricacies which only true, hardcore fans can really appreciate, or the excitement of someone new to the game when they begin to learn the ins and outs. I have another reason why it is so easy to fall in love with baseball and that is, no matter how long you have been around or following the game, you can always see something that you have never seen before. Crazy plays happen all the time or amazing hits that seem to have eyes for the short grass. Just watch ESPN at night and look for the top ten plays of the night and it’s a constant one-up festival. Just the variety of double play combinations alone can fill a lifetime of “I’ve never seen that.” Just today I once again was stunned by how little I have actually seen in person. For starters, last night Audy Ciriaco hit a walk off grand slam in extra innings, a first for me. Moving along to today, I saw a double play I bet will never (or at least for a long time) be seen again. In the fifth inning of today’s game, Kyle Peter went back on a ball hit in the gap. He ended up sliding feet first into the wall, catching the ball over his shoulder. Now, the other team had a hit and run on so by the time Kyle caught the ball, the runner was rounding second base. It was so amazing that no one in the dugout thought he caught it, and neither did the runner. Well due to sliding into the wall, Kyle smashed his knee and temporarily couldn’t stand, so our left fielder, Chris White, came running over, grabbed the ball out of Kyle’s glove, threw it in to Justin Henry (2nd baseman) who relayed it to first to force out the runner for the double play. So to recap, we went from what we thought was a double in the gap and run for them, to an amazing catch and two down and nobody on. Or in baseball terms, an F-8-7-4-3 double play. Kyle will be okay, he just banged his knee pretty good and should be back in no time. I can most certainly add this to my list of “Never seen that before” and the next time you go to a game, maybe if you pay attention close enough you will get a glimpse of the unseen.